The anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect and mechanism of Chiehyuan herbal oral protection solution.

The Chiehyuan herbal oral protection solution (GB-2) is a herbal mixture commonly utilized in Taiwan for combating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as per traditional Chinese medicine practices. This study assessed the clinical impact of GB-2 through prospective clinical trials. With twice-daily use for a week, GB-2 was shown to diminish the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in oral mucosal cells. Moreover, after two weeks of use, it could reduce transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMRPSS2) expression in these cells. Additionally, in vitro experiments demonstrated that GB-2 lessened the entry efficiency of the Omicron, L452R-D614G, T478K-D614G, and L452R-T478K-D614G variants of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus. It also impeded the interaction between ACE2 and the receptor-binding domain (RBD) presenting N501Y-K417N-E484A-G339D-Q493R-G496S-Q498R and L452R-T478K mutations. Glycyrrhizic acid, a major compound in GB-2, also hindered the entry of the Omicron variant (BA.1) of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus by obstructing the binding between ACE2 and the RBD presenting the N501Y-K417N-E484A-G339D-Q493R-G496S-Q498R mutation. To sum up, these findings suggest that GB-2 can decrease ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in oral mucosal cells. Both glycyrrhizic acid and GB-2 were found to reduce the entry efficiency of the Omicron variant (BA.1) of the SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped lentivirus and block the binding between ACE2 and the RBD with the N501Y-K417N-E484A-G339D-Q493R-G496S-Q498R mutation. This evidence implies that GB-2 might be a potential candidate for further study as a preventative measure against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Use of Traditional Chinese Medicine May Delay the Need for Insulin Treatment in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objectives: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been shown to reduce insulin resistance and improve beta cell function in previous studies. The aim of this study was to assess whether the use of TCM can delay the need for insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Design: Data on patients with type 2 diabetes who received medical treatment for the first time between 2000 and 2003 were obtained from National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. Among these patients, those with a cumulative use of TCM of more than 28 days were defined as TCM users, and the others as non-users. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the cumulative risk of initiating insulin therapy. Cox proportional hazards models with and without competing risk events were used to evaluate the association between the use of TCM and insulin therapy. Settings/Location: Data were obtained from National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) in Taiwan. Subjects: Patients with type 2 diabetes who received medical treatment for the first time between 2000 and 2003. Interventions: Among these patients, those with a cumulative use of TCM of more than 28 days were defined as TCM users, and the others as non-users. Outcome measures: After 1:1 propensity score matching, both groups were tracked until the initiation of insulin therapy, death, or the end of 2013. Results: We identified 6524 TCM users and 6524 non-users. The TCM users had a significantly lower risk of insulin initiation in a dose-dependent manner (log-rank test p < 0.001). This effect was consistent across subgroups with different severities of diabetes, and remained significant in competing risk analysis (for TCM users with 28 to 83 days cumulative use, HR 0.78 [0.70-0.87], p < 0.0001; for TCM users with ≥ 84 days cumulative use, HR 0.47 [0.42-0.53], p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The use of TCM in addition to standard diabetes treatment may delay the need for insulin treatment in patients who received medical treatment for type 2 diabetes for the first time. This benefit was strongly dose-dependent and applicable in patients with different severities of diabetes.

Danshen Improves Survival of Patients With Breast Cancer and Dihydroisotanshinone I Induces Ferroptosis and Apoptosis of Breast Cancer Cells.

Danshen (salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. However, it is definite clinical effort and mechanism on breast cancer is unclear. In our study, we used the real-world database to investigate in vivo protective effort of danshen in the breast cancer patients through using population-based data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). In vitro, human breast cancer cells (MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells) were used to investigate the effect and the underlying mechanism through XTT assay, flow cytometry, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity assay, GSH (reduced glutathione)/GSSG (oxidized glutathione), malondialdehyde (MDA), and western blot analysis. The in vivo effect was investigated through a xenograft nude mouse model. We found that dihydroisotanshinone I (DT), a pure compound present in danshen, can inhibit the growth of breast carcinoma cells, including MCF-7 cells and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, DT induced apoptosis and ferroptosis in these breast cancer cells. DT also repressed the protein expression of GPX4 (Glutathione peroxidase 4). For in vivo study, DT treatment also significantly inhibited the final tumor volume without adverse effects in a xenograft nude mouse model. In conclusion, danshen has protective efforts in breast cancer patients, which could be attributed to DT through inducing apoptosis and ferroptosis of breast cancer cells.